National sporting federations who are part of Fiji Association of Sport and National Olympic Committee or FASANOC, are still calling for answers and accountability after Fiji’s failed bid presented by FASANOC to host the Pacific Games in 2031.
President of Fiji Weightlifting Federation, Della Shaw-Elder says they want answers as there was no consultation with the national sporting federations on the bid before it was presented.
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She says the sporting bodies are awaiting answers and it will be interesting to know what Fiji had offered on the values of progression in the bid.
Shaw-Elder says the only document they saw was a survey that was given out to all sports federations if Fiji was to host, what are the technical details that each sporting body was to give out.
She says apart from that, there was no consultation on the bid.
Shaw-Elder says as far as she is concerned, no one has seen this bid document except the people that went to conduct the bid. She says it is really unfortunate that Fiji lost the bid.
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Questions are being raised by sporting federations on whether we spoke to other countries and lobbied for them to support our bid, whether Fiji’s bid presentation went beyond time and had to be cut short and Matalita Buadromo did not get the chance to even speak.
One of the board members of FASANOC says judging from the reactions from the national sporting federations, they need to look at the FASANOC board and their role as a board as they represent the federations.
The board member says even some of them on the board do not know what is in the bid document and there was no consultation with the board.
They meet next Saturday to thrash out these matters.
When questioned by fijivillage News, FASANOC CEO, Vanessa Kilner says FASANOC President, Makarita Lenoa’s press statement 5 days after the bid announcement was released to the national sports federations, the Minister for Youth and Sports, Permanent Secretary for Youth and Sports, Fiji Sports Council Executive Board and Fiji National Sports Commission CEO. Kilner says whilst they are all shocked and disappointed at the bid outcome given that the Risk Assessment Report showed a low risk for Fiji; rest assured Fiji's bid were within guidelines and protocols as stipulated by the Pacific Games Council.
She says the bid document was submitted in April with the full support of the various national federations and the Fiji Government, none of whom they could have done without, these stakeholders were also consulted by the Pacific Games Council during the in-country visit and assessment that contributed to the risk assessment report in July.
Kilner says they are all understandably upset which might cloud some memories and judgement of this entire process, but this process did not start in October when the presentation was made or when the voting took place but rather from much earlier in the year with the relevant stakeholders.
She says the presentation was a visual representation of the bid document that had already been submitted 5 months prior.
Kilner says every country that bids desires to win but the decision on who wins the bid is determined by the Pacific Games Council member countries that vote.
